How to Stop Spam Calls and Texts on Android and iPhone
Turn on built-in spam filters, block and report numbers, and learn the habits that keep scam calls and texts to a minimum.
Spam calls and texts range from annoying sales pitches to scams designed to steal money or account codes. You can’t make them disappear completely, but you can cut them down considerably and make the rest easier to ignore. Android phones and iPhones both include free filtering and blocking tools, and a few simple habits help even more.
The golden rules for any unexpected call or text
- Never share one-time codes, passwords or PINs with anyone who contacts you, even if they say they’re from your bank, your carrier or a delivery company. Genuine organizations don’t ask for them.
- Don’t tap links in unexpected texts. If a message says there’s a problem with an account or a parcel, open the company’s official app or type its web address yourself.
- Don’t call back unknown international numbers after a missed call. Some scams rely on you calling an expensive premium-rate number.
- Don’t reply to obvious scam texts, not even with STOP, because a reply confirms your number is active. Messages from businesses you’ve actually signed up with are different; their STOP option is usually safe to use.
- Hang up if you feel pressured. Urgency, threats and requests for payment by gift card or cryptocurrency are classic signs of a scam.
Android: turn on spam protection for calls
Most Android phones use either Google’s Phone app or the manufacturer’s own dialer, so menu names vary. The ideas are the same everywhere.
Open the Phone app’s settings
Open the Phone app, tap the three-dot menu or the settings icon, and choose Settings.
Turn on caller ID and spam protection
In Google’s Phone app, tap “Spam and Call Screen” and turn on “See caller and spam ID”. On Samsung phones, look for “Caller ID and spam protection”. Other brands use similar wording.
Filter spam calls
In Google’s Phone app, turn on “Filter spam calls” so suspected spam doesn’t ring your phone. Filtered calls still appear in your call history. On phones with automatic Call Screen, spam blocking is one of the Call Screen options instead.
Block calls with no caller ID
Open “Blocked numbers” in the Phone settings and turn on the option for unknown or private numbers. This blocks callers who hide their number, not every number that isn’t in your contacts.
Block and report individual numbers
In your call history, touch and hold a number (or open its details), then choose the option to block it or report it as spam.
Some Pixel phones in supported countries also offer Call Screen, which can answer calls from unknown numbers for you and show what the caller says, so you can decide whether to pick up.
Spam texts on Android
In Google Messages, spam protection is on by default. To check, tap your profile picture, then Messages settings, then Protection & Safety. To deal with a spam text, touch and hold the conversation, tap Block, and choose to report it as spam; it moves to the “Spam & blocked” folder. Samsung Messages and other brands’ messaging apps have similar block and spam options in their settings.
iPhone: screen, silence and filter unknown callers
Recent versions of iOS give you three choices for calls from numbers that aren’t saved in your contacts. Go to Settings, then Apps, then Phone, and find “Screen Unknown Callers”:
- Never: calls from unsaved numbers ring as normal.
- Ask Reason for Calling: your iPhone answers first and asks the caller for their name and reason for calling. You see their answer on screen and decide whether to pick up.
- Silence: calls from unknown numbers are silenced and sent to voicemail, and still appear in your call history.
On older versions of iOS, the equivalent setting is “Silence Unknown Callers” in the Phone settings. Before silencing unknown callers, add important numbers, such as your doctor, your children’s school and services you use regularly, to your contacts so you don’t miss their calls. Recent versions also include “Call Filtering” options in the Phone settings, which can move calls from unknown numbers and suspected spam into separate lists.
To block a single number, open the Phone app, find the call in your recent calls, tap the info button next to it, and choose the option to block the caller.
Spam texts on iPhone
In recent versions of iOS, go to Settings, Apps, Messages and turn on “Screen Unknown Senders”. Texts from numbers that aren’t in your contacts then go to a separate Unknown Senders list, and you can still allow notifications for time-sensitive texts such as verification codes. Older versions offer a similar “Filter Unknown Senders” setting. For a specific spam message, use the “Report Junk” option where it appears in the conversation, or open the sender’s details and block them.
Extra help from your carrier and national registers
- Carrier tools: Many mobile carriers offer free spam-blocking or scam-warning services, sometimes as an app or a setting in your account. Check your carrier’s website or app.
- Forward spam texts: In several countries, including the US and the UK, you can forward spam texts to 7726 (the digits spell SPAM on a phone keypad), and it’s usually free. Check your carrier’s website for the service in your country.
- Do-not-call registers: Many countries run an official register that tells legitimate telemarketers not to call you, such as the National Do Not Call Registry in the US, the Telephone Preference Service in the UK and the DND service in India. They reduce sales calls from law-abiding companies, but scammers ignore them.
- Report scams: Your country’s consumer protection or fraud reporting service uses reports from the public to warn others and investigate scams.
Should you install a third-party caller ID app?
The spam protection built into your phone and offered by your carrier is enough for most people, and it doesn’t require sharing extra data with another company. Some third-party caller ID apps ask for access to your contacts, call history or messages. If you’re considering one, read which permissions it requests and its privacy policy first, and install it only from the official app store.
Why do I still get spam calls after blocking numbers?
Spammers often cycle through many numbers or fake them, so blocking one number doesn’t stop the next. Automatic spam filters, unknown-caller screening and carrier tools handle this better than blocking numbers one by one.
Does blocking a number stop texts as well as calls?
On iPhone, blocking a number stops calls, messages and FaceTime from it. On Android, a number blocked in the Phone or Messages app is generally blocked for both calls and texts, though this can vary by brand and app.
Is it risky to answer a spam call?
Answering is unlikely to harm your phone, but it can confirm that your number is active. Don’t press any keys when prompted and don’t share personal details. Letting unknown calls go to voicemail is simpler.
What if I’ve already shared a code or tapped a link?
Act quickly. Change the password of the affected account, sign out of other sessions if the service allows it, and contact your bank straight away if money or cards could be involved. Then report what happened to your country’s fraud reporting service.